New Jersey tea

American  

noun

1. a North American shrub, Ceanothus americanus, of the buckthorn family, the leaves of which were used as a substitute for tea during the American Revolution.

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Etymology

Origin of New Jersey tea

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

On the sandy bank which makes the background for this scene of splendor, the New Jersey tea, known better as the red-root, lifts its feathery white plumes above restful, gray-green leaves.

From Some Summer Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John

The American troops were glad enough to use New Jersey tea throughout the war.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

Additional undergrowth of native woodland shrubs, such as New Jersey tea, red-berried elder and blueberry for the Eastern States, will augment the naturalness of the scene and help to conserve the moisture in the soil.

From Studies of Trees by Levison, Jacob Joshua

Among them was the Ceanothus americanus, or New Jersey tea, the leaves of which, mamma read to me, were used for tea during the American Revolution.

From Harper's Young People, July 27, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

Those long creeping lines on which the crystals sparkle are only brambles, and that big rosette of rusty red and fluffy white is the New Jersey tea.

From Some Winter Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John